Sweet vanilla, spice and ripe berry and black plum on the nose. The palate shows more ripe black berries and mocha, balanced with French oak and vibrant acidity. A well balanced and structured wine.

Ratings

92 Points Dark in colour, this brooding Merlot begins with aromas of plum, cassis and spice, leading to flavours of cassis and blueberry. There is a hint of chocolate and espresso on the finish. This is another wine that benefits from decanting, to allow the concentrated texture to reveal the aromas and flavours. This wine will blossom with five or more years of cellaring. John Schreiner

Vineyard Notes

The season started strong with a warm April, which led to good conditions for bud break. The drier than normal May set the stage for early flowering and then early ripening throughout the vineyard. The temperatures dipped in September with a wet first harvest in October. A benign weather system carried us into November with dry and mild weather.

Winemaker Notes

It's difficult to say whether Painted Rock's rise to fame is karma or just plain hard work, either way, this young winery is coming of age.

Wine Wednesday Feature

Welcome to a bitter sweet day for me- it is the very LAST Wine Wednesday. But fear not! The Monashees team will
still be on SunFm featuring wine, beer and spirits- now moved to Thursday afternoons dubbed "Thirsty Thursday" at 3:15pm.

The inaugural show is March 1st, so join us then to hear what we've chosen to bring and what YOU could win on the radio! Alas- our last Wednesday feature is LaSanta Highland Scotch by Glenmorangie. Aged in 2 different barrels- Bourbon for 10yrs then Sherry for 2 more, this elegant dram is a total of 12yrs of awesomeness! Notes of walnut, orange, raisin and plum- it is amazing neat, with a few drops of water to open it up. It is best paired with a wood burning stove, a plushy blanket and your hunney snuggled up on the couch!